A friend
and I were reminiscing recently about our career paths and got to
talking about first promotions.

It was amazing how ugly the memories got.

"When they announced my new position," my friend said, "no one
clapped."

"For me, either," I said. "Then people stopped asking me to lunch."

"And happy hour!"

What's wrong with this picture? Were we just two unlikable women
being snubbed for our incompetence, our obnoxiousness or the unfair
fates that conspired to get us promoted? Or was there something
else at work?

Lucky for me, I'm paid to ask questions like these. After talking
to a raft of career coaches, I can safely say our promotion experiences
weren't unique. My friend and I weren't incompetent. We weren't
unlikable. Rather, we were moving from peer to manager, and that's
a hard transition to make.

Why? Well, like it or not, you're not one of the gang anymore.
You're now overseeing and evaluating people who used to be your
professional equals. You worked beside them. You may have socialized
with them. Heck, they may be good friends. And "it's very challenging
to go to someone you've been to the bowling alley with or lunch
with or shopping with and say, by the way, this piece of work is
not up to par," says Clarice Scriber, a faculty member of the Georgetown
University Leadership Coaching Program in Washington.

Yet you're probably not part of the bosses' club, either. Which
means "you're sitting in limbo," Schaefer says. "You're out of one
camp and trying to prove yourself to another."

So what's a newly minted manager to do?

First, stop taking it personally that nobody applauded your good
fortune. Promotions stir up dicey feelings, Schaefer says. Your
coworkers probably spent all that valuable clapping time trying
to figure out why they weren't promoted and how your bump up the
corporate ladder will affect them.

"They're used to dealing with you a certain way," says Alicia Rodriguez,
principal and founder of Sophia Associates, an international executive
and leadership coaching practice in Severna Park, MD. "They certainly
never reported to you. It's a whole different kind of relationship."

As the new manager, it's up to you to set a tone. Meet with your
staff one at a time to talk about what your new relationship is
going to look like, Rodriguez says. Be upfront about your role,
your responsibilities and your expectations. Deal with questions
about lunches and happy hours and any concerns your former peers
may have.

"It's a difficult conversation," Rodriguez admits. "A lot of people
see it as losing the relationship. And what it really is is transforming
the relationship."

Next, start looking at your new peer group -- those men and women
who used to be your supervisors but are now your equals.

"There are so many unwritten rules in organizations that are not
always apparent to you until you ascend to the next level," says
Scriber, who is president and CEO of Clarity Consulting Inc. in
Baltimore. Find someone you can go to and ask for help in navigating
the management waters.

Finally, spend some time on yourself. Your former peers and supervisors
aren't the only people who now see you differently. You may be having
your own identity crisis.

So ask for help. See what resources your company offers that will
help you stretch into your new role. Ask for a coach. Seize the
visibility your new position gives you to develop people, set direction
and grow.

Above all, be kind to yourself. That discomfort you feel at being
the new boss is natural, and it will pass.

"You're stepping into new territory. So I think it's normal to
fell a little apprehension," Scriber says. "I would be worried if
there wasn't any of that. Because you don't want to be a cocky leader."

Susan Bowles is a business journalist based in Washington, DC.
She has 20 years journalism experience and has written for USA Today,
USATODAY.com, the Washington Post, the St. Petersburg Times and
The Palm Beach Post.